Merion's "three-act play" by the numbers...

[Steve_ Shaffer]

David Berrett & E. Michael Johnson wrote an article in Golf World (couldn't find it online) about the scoring on Merion's "three-act play"


The first six holes are drama, the second seven holes are comedy and the last five holes are tragedy.

Here are the numbers:

THE FiIELD

Act 1 +6.7   
Act2  +1.9
Act3  +9.2

ROSE

Act1 +1
Act2 -8
Act3 +8

MICKELSON

Act1 +5
Act2 -3
Act3 +1

DAY

Act1 +4
Act2 -6
Act3 +5

My analysis:  Mickelson just didn't play the short holes of Act2 well enough. Why? 3putts on 11 on day2, the bogeys on 13. Throw in a 3 putt on 1 on day1 and the poor wedge on 15 on day4 and Voila!!!

Is there more to Phil's "heartbreak?"

[Brent Hutto]

Maybe the relative difficulties of "acts" are different for lefties?

Is there any plausible reason the supposedly easy holes are somewhat trickier for left-handed player? Similarly, maybe the closing holes set up a bit less risky for a lefty.

Just speculating...

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Brett,

I don't think the set up caused 3 putts and a bad choce of clubs on 13 on day4.

[Jim Nugent]

Steve, a related question then is why did Phil play act 3 so well? 

[Peter Pallotta]

Thanks, Steve - that's interesting, how the acts played 'true to form' like that.

I wonder: how did the fact that the players knew (and were told repeatedly) about the drama-comedy-tragedy paradigm affect the way they played/chose to play the holes....perhaps a self fulfilling prophecy as it were.

PM is such an outside the box thinker (relatively speaking) and priides himself on doing things differently that it doesn't suprise me that he turned the paradigm on its head: it was a tragedy-comedy-drama for Phil. If he were King Richard III, he'd be yelling "a horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse" in Ac1 I, Scene 3....

[Garland Bayley]

Steve, a related question then is why did Phil play act 3 so well? 

Because he never used driver?

Or conversely, why did everyone else play act 3 so badly? Because they used driver?

Let's just call Merion "The Three Wood Open"

[mike_malone]

  Where some see 3 act play I see subpar flow. 

[David Kelly]

The top 10 and ties ( 13 players) played the last 5 holes on Sunday at +21.  Els was the only one to play those holes under par (-1).  Rose was lauded for finishing well but he was +2 on the closing stretch just like Mickelson.

[Mark Bourgeois]

We should not discount the role of capice. Capisce?

[David Kelly]

We should not discount the role of capice. Capisce?

Caprice.

[Garland Bayley]

We should not discount the role of capice. Capisce?

Caprice.

Capisce?

[Mark Bourgeois]

I hate the small keyboard. Dammit.

[Jay Flemma]

David Berrett & E. Michael Johnson wrote an article in Golf World (couldn't find it online) about the scoring on Merion's "three-act play"


The first six holes are drama, the second seven holes are comedy and the last five holes are tragedy.

Here are the numbers:

THE FiIELD

Act 1 +6.7   
Act2  +1.9
Act3  +9.2

ROSE

Act1 +1
Act2 -8
Act3 +8

MICKELSON

Act1 +5
Act2 -3
Act3 +1

DAY

Act1 +4
Act2 -6
Act3 +5

My analysis:  Mickelson just didn't play the short holes of Act2 well enough. Why? 3putts on 11 on day2, the bogeys on 13. Throw in a 3 putt on 1 on day1 and the poor wedge on 15 on day4 and Voila!!!

Is there more to Phil's "heartbreak?"

Yes...he took 37 putts on Sunday - that's so zany, it has to be considered a statistical outlier.

[Keith Grande]

I think foregoing the driver was a brilliant move by Phil.  He kept it in the fairway most of the week, which lead to many GIR.  And we know the history of Phil's driver and US Opens. 

I can't help but think back to the many short birdie putts missed on day 2, many on Act 2.  The lip-outs on day 4, #1 (albeit a long putt), #2, and the crucial missed putt on #16.

[Garland Bayley]

I think foregoing the driver was a brilliant move by Phil.  He kept it in the fairway most of the week, which lead to many GIR.  And we know the history of Phil's driver and US Opens. 

I can't help but think back to the many short birdie putts missed on day 2, many on Act 2.  The lip-outs on day 4, #1 (albeit a long putt), #2, and the crucial missed putt on #16.

I don't think Phil could have gotten away without driver at Winged Foot. However, it was the right play this year at the 3-wood Open.